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Nagate Tanikaze
Nagate Tanikaze (谷風 長道 Tanikaze Nagate) is the series main protagonist. He's the surrogate grandson to Hiroki Saitou and trained all his life to become an ace pilot. After Hiroki's death, Nagate ventured out the underworld of Sidonia and was adopted by Kobayashi; she made special arrangements for Nagate to pilot Hiroki's Tsugumori and he became Sidonia's ace Guardian pilot. Character & Personality Nagate was raised by his surrogate grandfather, Hiroki Saitou. Unknown to Nagate, he is Hiroki's adopted son, but also his clone; Nagate was technically raised by himself. Raised to be an ace pilot, Nagate spent his entire life training to meet the Gauna on the battlefield. After his grandfather died, Nagate ventured out into the surface of Sidonia and was forced to cope with people within Sidonia. Because of his lack of contact with humanity, he's used to solitude and he's naive and unaccustomed to common social practices. Because of his naivete, he was often put in awkward situations and even got involved in a few scuffles. However, he's proven to be a good and loyal friend to others, always putting himself at risk to protect the ones he cares about. He's also very combat driven, Hiroki always taught him to move forward as the enemy will not give him the reprieve he wants. Though his introduction into Sidonia was awkward, he eventually becomes a celebrated ace pilot of Sidonia. Because of his lack of understanding between the opposite sex, Nagate isn't aware that there are a lot of girls interested in him. However, the one girl that he bonded with, Shizuka Hoshijiro, also became his greatest torment. After Shizuka's death, Nagate as haunted by her as he loved her and he blamed himself for her death. Even after redeeming himself in battle, the Gauna continued to haunt Nagate by imitating her image; those that were killed in combat at times gravely haunts Nagate. While he continues to feel uncomfortable at the Gauna's tactics, he eventually adapts enough to defend Sidonia. Skills & Abilities *Sidonia ace pilot - his initial performance with the Type 18 was lackluster because of his accustomed style with Tsugumori. He trained everyday with simulators since a boy and managed to surpass his grandfather, who was the previous ace pilot, at the age of 6. With the Tsugumori, Nagate always outperforms his fellow pilots, constantly snatching the most Gauna kills. He gets his own custom mech later, and is usually the one testing prototypes from Toha Heavy Industries. *Immortal - being born as a clone of Hiroki Saito and had secret enhancement done by Kobayashi, he is the only naturally born immortal of Sidonia. He has extremely fast regeneration due to this, but can still die from extreme trauma. It's because of his accelerated healing that also causes him to often feel hungry and need to eat. Kobayashi ordered him to keep his fast regeneration a secret from others. Nagate takes a lot of damage over the series, including (but not limited to) a shattered neck, a severe concussion, a broken hand, a crushed nose, a dislocated arm and a broken leg. Appearance Dresses only in uniform or in his old spacesuit. He doesn't have a wardrobe; Kobayashi eventually supplies him with fresh clothes for school and civilian life. History Beginnings & Seeing Sidonia's Surface Nagate is an immortal clone of Hiroki Saitou. After Hiroki had a fall out with the Immortal Ship Committee, Hiroki took his clone with him and vanished into Sidonia's underground and never returned. Eventually, Hiroki found a place where he could settle and named his clone Nagate. Hiroki raised Nagate to become an ace pilot and created a cover story to Nagate that Hiroki is his grandfather. Since little, Nagate lived most of his life underground with his grandfather. However, after Hiroki died of old age and depleting all of their supplies, Nagate decided to venture to the surface of Sidonia for food. To his surprise, he came right out of a rice plant, only to get caught. Kobayashi's Adoption & Joining Sidonia Defense Force Earning the nickname, Mole Man, Nagate was identified as many as the rice thief (also a urban myth of a Mole Man living within the underground world of Sidonia). At first, officials weren't sure what to do with him as police couldn't verify nor believe his statements during debriefing. However, Kobayashi know of Nagate's real origins and took responsibility over him by becoming his guardian; all of his crimes and troubles were taken care of. Not long, through Kobayashi's arrangement, she had Nagate join the Sidonia Defense Force Academy. He is to be quickly arranged to become a front line Guardian pilot. During that time, he meets and befriends Izana Shinatose, Shizuka Hoshijiro, and Hiroki's old friend, Lala Hiyama. At first, many people teased Nagate for his inability to photosynthesize, making him eat more than the rest of the population. Because he trained his whole life based on Tsugumori, he drew criticism as he unimpressively scored poorly when he practiced on the Type 18 simulator. He drew attention due to the fact he was so quickly accepted into the Sidonia Defense Force and eventually drew the ire of Norio. First Sortie & First Gauna Encounter Things would quickly change for both Nagate and Norio. Nagate doesn't know he's special, but Kobayashi believes in his abilities and Hiroki's legacy within him. Because of that, he was quickly fast-tracked to become a Gardes pilot. Because of Kobayashi's faith, Hiroku's legendary unit, the Tsugumori, was brought back to service for Nagate's explicit use. However, this earned the ire of Norio as he always wanted to take the Tsugumori himself. It was during this time, the Sidonia had resource shortages and Norio, three of the Honoka sisters, Izana, Shizuka, Eiko Yamano, and Nagate were dispatched to do some routine mining as a training exercise; things went terribly wrong. The mining operation accidentally awakened a slumbering Gauna under the surface, officially breaking the 100 years of peace for Sidonia. G(auna)487 attacked the mining crew. In the first few minutes of the surprise attack, Nagate was knocked hard into the ground and his heart stopped. In between, his fellow squadmates were fighting for their lives and Yamano was KIA (killed in action). Everyone thought Nagate was done for, but his regenerative abilities saved him and his heart started again. As G487's placental arms were about to end Nagate, he was revived and he quickly engaged the Gauna in CQC (close quarters combat). During that time, Kobayashi called for Sidonia to fire a mass cannon and the shell was nearing impact; Nagate was too focused on the battle to listen. Without a Kabizashi Spear, Nagate wouldn't have won. After being whipped back by a placental arm, Shizuka grabbed Nagate and the two rejoined their squad to escape in clasp formation before the shell impacted. The shell scored a direct hit, but the Gauna survived; Sidonia command was hoping to repel the Gauna long enough for Sidonia to escape. At Yamano's funeral, Kobayashi announced that a Mass Union Ship was nearby; it was a speech to rally the troops and have them mentally and emotionally prepared for the conflict to come. Back at the academy, Nagate was being teased for his constant consumption of food and even told that he stinks because of it. As a prank, they left a whole bag of deodorizer in his locker. Akai Squadron's Decimation & Destroying G487 Later, the Akai Squad was chosen to engage G487. Before the mission started, the squad drew attention to Nagate as not even the elite group had fought a Gauna, but Nagate did. In between this time, cadet Yuhata Midorikawa took noticed of Nagate's piloting skills after reviewing his combat data and was quickly smitten over him due to his abilities. Coincidentally, Yuhata's brother was also part of the Akai squad and wanted Yuhata to give Nagate some space. Shortly after, the Akai squad was dispatched, but it ended in their destruction. Akai was KIA by G487 and Hinata Momose was emotionally distraught and jeopardized the mission. Ultimately, all of the Akai squad was KIA and the G487 then set its sights upon Sidonia. With G487 heading towards Sidonia, it was no longer a subjugation mission. It became a mission of desperation and Sidonia command sortied every Gardes regardless of the pilot's training level. Nagate sortied himself and was one of the first to encounter G487 once again. In a four-man team (Norio, Shizuka, En, and Nagate), the group encountered a particle beam attack that immobilized their Gardes before engaging the Gauna. Fortunately, the Tsugumori was minimally damaged and Nagate was able to restart his machine and took on the Gauna. Grabbing a Kabizashi Spear, he was able to blow an opening form the Gauna, wide enough for him to pierce through G487's bubble, destroying the Gauna once and for all. Victory wasn't Nagate's concern as Shizuka's ejected from her Gardes during combat. Unwilling to give up on her, Nagate left beyond Sidonia's range to rescue her. Shizuka's Rescue & Hero's Return Nagate managed to find Shizuka, but Tsugumori was too low on fuel return under its own power; they were stranded. For nearly up to 10 days, both of them spent time together trying to survive, but the two also developed romantic feelings for each other. Nearly at the end of their rope, all of the Gardes units broke protocol and performed their own search and rescue mission and found the duo still alive. It was a great heroic return for Nagate as he was seen as the savior of Sidonia and a man of great honor for saving Shizuka in the process. However, this didn't sit well with Norio. He felt robbed as he spent his entire life building his reputation and earning his place; Nagate's sudden appearance robbed him of all his desired fame, glory, and the honor of piloting Tsugumori. Things would go terribly wrong in the next sortie. Barely enjoying the fruits of his labor, Nagate was enjoying a party in his celebration and official induction into the Sidonia Defense Force as a official pilot. It was also this night that he and Shizuka became a couple and things couldn't be better until they were called in for combat. Things would end terribly wrong when a mass union ship appeared. Failed Subjugation & Shizuka's Death Part of a 36-man subjugation group, Nagate was part of Norio's squad and they were tasked to insert special charges to the rear of the Gauna to reduce its placenta. All was well until Norio pulled a dirty move, he was supposed to synchronously detonate all the explosives with the team. However, he intentionally misinformed Nagate, making him look as if he pulled a major mistake in a life and death situation. Confused as to what happened, the Gauna's tail hit Tsugumori hard and Shizuka dived in to save Nagate. Unfortunately, while she did save Nagate, Shizuka was KIA. The placental arms destroyed her Gardes and assimilated her. Nagate suffered a massive head injury and had to be dragged back into Sidonia for medical attention. Back at Sidonia, the public's fickle affection for their hero turned on him. Because of Norio's set up, Nagate is now publicly villainized for costing both the mission and causing the lost of lives of several pilots. Not a single person investigated into the matter to prove Nagate was innocent. Norio now happily received accolades of his own "bravery" and not once bothered by the fact his set up also cost the life of Shizuka. By the time Nagate woke up, the same people that loved him now despises him. Only his closest allies remain supportive, but upon learning over Shizuka's death, he was distraught as he lost his girlfriend. Ghost of Hoshijiro & Becoming an Ace After Lala's and Izana's help, Nagate started to feel a little better after Shizuka's death. However, his mourning time was limited as there was a new Gauna threat. A mass union ship had appeared before scans and three Gauna was dispatched, identified as G488 to G891. Small targets upon scans, it was a haunting vision when it has been revealed the Gauna created three perverse replicas of Hoshijiro piloting her Gardes. Nagate was shocked to see this, but relentingly fought the Hoshijiro Gauna copies. The battle was rough as these faux Gardes units can fight just as well as the real ones. Norio himself was especially mentally and emotionally shaken because he was directly involved with Hoshijiro's death. In the midst of this freakish encounter, command had ordered a sample for study, as the Gauna has never gone so far as replicating technology, only the humans they assimilated. Nagate fought against the weakest one and managed to destroy the Gauna Gardes, but managed to secure a placental replica of Hoshijiro in a container. After securing his sample, he quickly came to the aid of his comrades as they were dying in combat against Benisuzume. He managed to fend her off, rallied with support units, and returned back to base. Back in Sidonia, Izana was reviewing the military report on the recent battle. It was confirmed that Nagate secured a unique placenta sample and when Izana asked, Nagate pointed out he captured one of the three placental Hoshijiros. Not once being considerate of Nagate's feelings, the committee continues to dispatch Nagate to combat. When Lala confronted Kobayashi about this matter, she pointed it was the condition the committee agreed upon to allow him to live on Sidonia. Relationships *Hiroki Saitou - His grandfather, and unknown to Nagate, his clone source. Hiroki raised Nagate to become an ace pilot. They had a good family relationship. *Kobayashi - His legal guardian. They rarely meet due to their positions, but she knows Nagate's origin and sympathizes with him. Nagate is one of very few Sidonia crew members who recognizes her unmasked appearance. *Izana Shinatose - She was the first to get along with Nagate. He views Izana as a dear friend. They share a house on the outer wall of the ship after Nagate becomes a squad leader. Izana is interested in Nagate, eventually becoming a one-sided love, as Nagate remains oblivious. They support each other all the time. When Izana was in a dire situation during an ambushed reconnaissance mission, Nagate pleaded for and carried out a rescue mission consisting of only him and Tsumugi, despite being one planet away. *Shizuka Hoshijiro - Both expressed feelings for each other after being stranded in space. Just as when they started to go out, Shizuka died protecting an unconscious Nagate from a Gauna during a sortie. He has yet to move on since her death, always getting hung up by the mention of her name, even if he doesn't directly express it. He suffers greatly from the presence of Benisuzume and his constant visits to a captured placenta-clone of Hoshijiro. He later had to face the other Hoshijiro clone. He was close to defeat, but managed to defeat her with a giant tampon. *Tsumugi Shiraui - Nagate was the very first person to accept Tsumugi. Since she was born from the placenta-cloned Hoshijiro, who only had fixation on Nagate, she inherited some of this trait as well. She loves him the most. Despite her heritage, she is kind and understanding. She currently "lives" with Nagate and the rest of the group by extending her probe through old construct pipe systems. They also become sortie partners after Nagate received his custom Guardian. *Yuhata Midorikawa - She has feelings for Nagate as well. Initially his junior, she quickly gets promoted to become his commanding officer. During battles, she holds Nagate's safety a top priority. She also tries to get alone time with him whenever possible, but her plans usually backfire through unexpected situational developments. She currently shares a house on the outer wall with Nagate and the rest of the group. *Norio Kunato - Norio immediately recognizes Nagate as his rival after Nagate is allowed to pilot the Tsugumori unit instead of him. Norio acts bitterly to Nagate and his friends, going as far as sabotaging Nagate during an attack on the Gauna, which results in Hoshijiro's death. When Norio decided to retire from piloting, Nagate visited and tried to persuade him to reconsider. Norio, despite adamant about it, teared up in secret. Nagate is still on friendly terms with him, even though he is unaware of Norio's transformation. *Honoka sisters - All of them respect Nagate as a skilled pilot and leader. Some of them even have feelings for him but are subtly shown. He treats all of them kindly, but has a tendency to stumble in on them while they are nude, drawing their anger. *Sasaki - Nagate's unit mechanic. She is hard on him for always returning with his unit all torn up, but supports him with with some of the best mechanics and equipment available. Because of this, he is scared of angering her. On the other side of the coin, she is very physically affectionate with him when praising him, which makes it awkward for Nagate to be around her when she is feeling happy with him. Notes & Trivia *Nagate's conditions for piloting require his participation in all battles. Norio is one of very few regular crewmembers who knows this condition, and considers it a death sentence against Nagate. Lala speculated with Kobayashi that the Immortal Ship Committee wanted him dead, because they could not accept another immortal crewmember who was not also part of the committee. Articles & References Links Category:Characters Category:Immortals